Summer
by likesunflowers
Summary: The summer after Harry's 5th yr and before his 6th...how Cho was crying herself out until she met him in Diagon Alley COMPLETED!
1. prologue

_ Cho did not know what she was doing. Her feet was not obeying her; they were obeying her heart. And somehow what her heart wanted was to get near Harry._

_ She could see him tense up, and she felt herself trembling and blushing. She just moved nearer, and they were right under the mistletoe. She could feel his breath on her body._

_ No. She was much too close. She found herself leaning onto his body. Harry looked shocked and all he could do was to hold her in his arms. That moment Cho knew that this was what she wanted. _

_ "I really like you, Harry." Now where did this come from? She was blushing beet red. _

_ Harry leaned closer, trembling with excitement, she could tell. He leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. She blushed, her heart racing. _

_ "Cho...I really like you too." he said gently and softly. Then Cho leaned, tiptoeing slightly, and kissed him right on the lips. She could taste the Chocolate Frog he ate just now. Harry was now embracing her tightly and she was gasping. She did not break the kiss. They stood there, for a few silent minutes. Cho closed her eyes and rested her head on Harry. It was total bliss. Harry backed away for a second, then came closer and gave Cho a good night kiss._

_ "Good night..." he said, brushing the stray tears on Cho's cheeks. She kissed him back._

_ "G'night." Cho stammered. She couldn't believe it. She had just kissed him. But she felt that Cedric would not be pleased. She cried softly as Harry left, slumping on the cushions._

"Er, Michael, can I speak to you?" Cho asked.

"Sure." Michael Corner looked thoroughly surprised. 

Cho led him to a small corner, lit by flickering candles, the wind howling. Her hair whipped around fiercely, lashing at her face. Michael waited for her to speak.

"Can you be my pretend boyfriend?" she asked, trying to hold her think black mane back. 

Michael shot her a puzzled and hurt look. His dark hair was flying all over, messy, and reminded her of one person. 

Harry Potter. The name sent a shiver down her spine and all of a sudden tears started welling in her eyes. His hair. How she missed him. But she did not dare say.

"Okay..." Michael said, unsurely. "Why?"

"I need someone to hold my hand." Cho said, teary-eyed, _I need someone to remind me of Harry. _

"I have to go now." Michael said gently. He leaned over and kissed Cho, and at first she thought he was just playing, but it felt so nice on her cheek. It reminded her of she and Harry kissing under the mistletoe. She pushed him away, she couldn't help it, she ran down the dimly-lit corridor as fast as she could, she was running away from reality, she did not look back.

_ Sorry, Harry, I didn't mean to blow up that day..._


	2. clouds

Cho and Marietta hurried down the platform. Cho was tagging behind the rushing Marietta. She wasn't really eager to get back home since there was no one around. 

She heard a very familiar voice, deep and soothing, and she turned. She saw Harry, tens of metres ahead, followed by his gang of people, chatting loudly and happily, and he did not look at her. He did not see her, perhaps, but she wished he would turn around and just smile at her. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Luna and Ginny went into Carriage Three whilst Marietta kept walking on and on- 

"Erm, Marietta, can we go there?" Cho asked feebly. She was trying hard not to cry in front of Harry, if she did talk to him, that is. 

"Okay." Marietta turned reluctantly but didn't ask why, and Cho was really thankful. They went back to the front of the train slowly. 

It was too hot. She could feel beads of sweat forming on the back of her neck. The heat was setting in like a thick blanket and she was suffocating under the heat. Yet her hands were cold and clammy, quavering on the handlebars of her luggage. The hot breeze sent her hair flying and she quickly brushed them away. 

There he was. He was sitting at the window, looking out, his eyes shining gallantly and handsomely. Cho's heart stopped but she kept walking, only slower. She felt sweat streaming down her face._ I must've looked stupid and ugly to him_, Cho thought embarrassedly as she quickly wiped her perspiration off. The corners of her mouth lifted into a small smile that he never returned, and his expression was suddenly cold and grim. His eyes lost its warmth but just glanced at her, expressionless, glimmering. She just looked at him wistfully as she passed- even though he looked down already- he was a wish she would never be granted, a Snitch she could never catch, their past love had been one as fragile as a rainbow, and she destroyed it, it was her fault. 

. She couldn't help it. Tears came down like a summer rain, cool but sad, torrents of tears streamed down her cheeks like a cool creek, trickling down her hands, staining her robes, splashing on the ground. The trail of tears followed her, dotting the ground in little puddles. She was sobbing loudly before she knew it and Marietta turned back. 

"Is it Harry, Cho?" She asked stiffly. Cho knew she kinda hated Harry. 

"N-no, i-iiits Ced...Cedric.." Cho lied as she cried. She sniffed and wiped her tears on her sleeve. _I am so stupid, why did I tell him off? _

Marietta nodded, but she gently hugged Cho. "Come on, let's get on, I think the train is moving soon..." 

"Okay." Cho followed Marietta up, and were greeted by stares of curiosity from several Ravenclaws and Gryffindors. They were pointing at Cho and chattering away. Cho looked down, but tears were still dripping, now making a fairly large puddle on the floor. She looked out of the window at the passing scenery and it immediately reminded her of Hogsmeade. That made her sob louder and Marietta gave her another squeeze to comfort her. 

Cho said, "I'm going to wash up, I'll be back soon." And she left for the next carriage where Harry was in. 

She watched him in the shadows, he seemed so undaunted by his godfather's death. _It must be hard on him_, she thought miserably, still sniffing a little. Yet she had been hit so hard by Cedric's death. There were plenty of people, loving and caring for her, but Harry had lost his closest friend and relative. There was no one who cared for him before and he knew Sirius for only a short period of two years. Wasn't it too cruel? 

But yet he seemed to take things in his stride and Cho knew she should too. She walked back, and spent the rest of the journey reflecting on the year- that only brought a fresh ocean of tears. When she left the train she was still wet and her face was blotchy. She did not care. She wanted to cry. 

Crying made things better. True, but for Cho, it seemed to make things worse. Once she started crying she could not stop. Sometimes she would cry without rhyme or reason. Sometimes it was because she knew that the boy who loved her so much was no longer at her side. Either reason, it made her feel worse, and made her long for something she would never have the chance to have. 

She wanted Harry. She wanted to be in his arms, basking in his warmth. That was the feeling no one but he could give. Only he could make her forget all her miseries and pain. 

Students around her were rushing, leaving her on her own. She felt so lonely and tired. She wanted to return to her dorm in Hogwarts. If only she had persuaded her parents to let her stay at Hogwarts. 

Time slipped like flowing water. The platform was now almost empty, the blue sky slowly turning dark. Only that it was not the approaching evening. A tall pillar of rain clouds were forming above Cho's head. They seemed to share her sorrow. 


	3. drizzle

She stood there for a long time, but she didn't move, she waited for all the students to clear. She watched Harry depart with his relatives and a bunch of funky looking wizard and she felt more alone then ever. 

She had to return to Diagon Alley herself, for her parents were away in China. They had a small apartment above the cramped stores of the shops lining the bustling street. She knew it was getting late.

Cho turned and found herself glancing at a Gryffindor from her year, Melody, and she knew Mel lived in Diagon Alley too. She slowly approached her and offered to go home together.

"Er, okay," Melody said rather surprised. She was pretty even in dull black robes and she looked a teeny bit like Cho (apart from being a Japanese and Cho was Chinese). "Anyway, Cho, you look really gloomy, is anything the matter?"

"No...I mean, yeah..." Cho whispered softly as she walked, ahead of Mel, because her tears were still falling. 

"Do you mind telling me? Maybe I can help."

"No, but I don't think there's much you can do," Cho snapped. Then she found out that she was a bit too harsh. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap but I don't think anything can help 'cos I don't think he even likes me in the first place."

"Its okay." Mel said gently as they arrived at Diagon Alley. Finally. 

"It's just that..." and Cho told Mel all about Harry and she.

Mel nodded knowingly. "I see..." 

"Have you ever been in love?" Cho asked suddenly.

Mel hesitated a little. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Does _he _like you?" 

"Yeah....I dunno...."

Cho said, "Then you're lucky, Harry hates me now, he pretends he doesn't even know me, I'm sure he doesn't like me at all."

"Then you're wrong, because you can never tell."

Cho shook her head sadly, and she walked away down the street, into the dusk. Drizzle came down, soft as winter snow, and now mingled with her tears. She cried softly, feebly, as she unlocked the door of the apartment.

All was dark. And it was stuffy and warm. Sighing, she set down her owl, Tweak, and quickly took a bath. The one room apartment was cluttered with books and junk, broken quills and laced with cobwebs and dust. Cho frowned, and cast a Cleaning Spell.

She lit the oil lamp and placed it on the mantelpiece with the rusty old clock and lit the fire with a swish of her wand. Instantly, the room brightened. 

Her bed laid in one corner of the cramped room, with a dusty old quilt thrown over it. Stacks of letters were scattered carelessly over it. Above was the window that looked directly out into the heart of Diagon Alley. Pink velvet curtains and mosquito net was hung up. She pulled them together.

She sat quietly on the bed, sobbing into the pillow. She didn't care if she was a mess; no one was around. She cried her heart out and she didn't even know why. She just let her tears flow.

She had been crying for a long time. She was so tired. Soon, she slipped into a deep sleep...


	4. rain

She woke up. She brushed her hair away, yawned and lay back. Her cheeks were still wet and tear-stained. It was an unusually rainy summer. Down on the street she saw several figures walking in the drifting rain. The street was covered in clear puddles and gentle rain was splashing on the sidewalk, softly, quietly.

There was nothing to do. Cho had finished all her homework in school during the weekend and before-break holiday. Her brown trunk lay at the doorway, its rusty clasps glinting faintly. The lamp had gone out and the fire was crackling weakly in the darkness. Tweak was perched on the stand on the low table which was partly covered with supplementary textbooks flipped open.

Below she saw the wizards and witches moving very fast and appeared blurred. It was still very early, about eight in the morning. And she was already feeling bored. 

She went to the calendar at the corner of the mantelpiece, which was opened to December the year before. She flicked her wand and the hard pages turned to July and August.

On one of the calendar squares, she had scribbled Harry's birthday in black ink. His birthday was near one month away, at the beginning of August. 

Tears welled up in Cho's eyes which were hurting terribly. 

She flicked her wand again and the calendar shut itself. Sighing, she flopped onto her bed. She lay back down as she cried softly. 

*

The clock showed twelve o' clock. Time for lunch. Cho wiped her teary eyes dry and changed into clean clothes. Then she went down the rickety, torch-lit stairs, down into the heart of Diagon Alley.

Diagon Alley was bustling with life. Wizards and witches of all ages were rushing about. Sometimes the doors of shops opened and shut swiftly with a slight bang. Everything was happening so fast. 

Cho grabbed a sandwich which she bought from a roadside stall. She didn't have much appetite anyway. Heart still thumping, she ate the sandwich slowly. Somehow she knew something was going to happen. Eyes darting about, she kept a close watch of what was going around.

She saw a tall, lanky boy who was very handsome, with an escort team of wizards. He had brilliant green eyes and a pair of deep brown glasses perched on his nose.

Cho's heart was thumping fast and almost jumped out of her mouth. She wanted to jump up and call Harry. But she could not.

Harry's gaze and her gaze locked. There was a sad, melancholy look in his eyes. Cho could've swore she saw a tear slip. He was too far away. 

Finally Cho stood up and wove her way through the crowd. Her legs brought her to Harry like what they did in Christmas. 

"Hello," Cho said squeakily. She knitted her hands together and looked down.

"Hi." Harry replied softly.

"Hey, Harry," Moody called. "we're getting some food. Come meet us at the bookshop at two thirty later!" He winked at Cho and left with the others.

Cho blushed deep red. "So...you're here to get books?"

"Yeah, what about you?" Harry asked stiffly.

"I live here." Cho replied carefully, tilting her head to look at Harry.

He was gazing intently at her with a wry smile on his face. "So, we have two and a half hours to spend, where do you wanna go?" 

"Anywhere." Cho grinned. _As long as I'm with you._

Harry said, "Then let's go to the fountain then."

"Okay." Cho and Harry walked towards the fountain. It was pearly white, with a tall unicorn stallion statue in the middle. Water was spouting out from his horn. He was simply beautiful.

Cho fished out a coin from her pocket and threw it into the middle of the fountain pond. It was a bottomless pond. She watched the Sickle sink deeper and deeper into the abyss. _I wish that I could be with Harry forever and ever._

"What did you wish for?" Harry asked, slightly amused.

"I can't tell you, or else it won't come true."

"Then tell me when it really comes true."

"I doubt it will, anyway," Cho said in a small voice. Suddenly she was crying all over.

Harry patted her shoulder. "What happened, Cho?"

"Nothing." She brushed away her tears and forced a smile.

Harry smiled back and they went down the street. They got two ice cream cones and ate them while they walked.

"Can I ask you something, Harry?"

Harry was surprised. "Sure, what is it?"

"Do you really have no more feelings for me?" 

Harry looked stumped. "Er..yeah...I guess."

Cho stood rooted, unable to say anything. They just stood there, staring at each other. She couldn't believe it. She willed herself not to cry, at least not cry in front of him.

"Sorry." Harry said in a small, unsure voice. He was blushing and shuffling his feet uneasily on the cobblestone pavement. His jet black hair shaded his green eyes as he turned around.

"It's okay." Cho stuttered as she followed him.

"Because you won't like me. It isn't possible between us." Harry told her.

_Tell him the truth!_ But Cho didn't. She walked after him silently.

She couldn't bring herself to tell him.

"I really have to go now. But be sure to owl-mail me." Harry told Cho and waved slightly.

"Bye." Cho said coldly with a small wave.

After he walked away, Cho slipped back to her apartment and locked the door. Only then did she cry all over. The dark set in as she cried. She did not know how long she had been crying. Nothing mattered now.

She grabbed her quill and parchment and quickly wrote a letter. She did not know what she wrote. She let her heart take over and blind her. Tears flew about as she wrote furiously and quickly, some smudging the parchment. Her vision was fogged, but her hand danced on the roll of brown paper.

"Tweak, come here." she called hoarsely. Tweak flew to Cho and she tied the roll to Tweak's leg.

"Harry Potter." she said clearly. After that she broke down and lay down. Tweak's wings fluttered and she took off into the dusk.


	5. a ray of sunshine

Harry saw a flurry of wings outside his window. He quickly opened them and a ball of feathers tumbled in.

He saw the bundle of parchment at its feet and he untied them hastily. He was in his room, feeling queasy because he had lied to Cho that afternoon. Tears were forming in his eyes but he brushed them away quickly.

The owl took off without a sound. Harry shut the windows and stared at the roll of parchment.

He unrolled it and read it silently. A smile appeared on his face. 

_Dear Harry,_

_ It was nice meeting you at Diagon Alley today. You know, I didn't tell you the truth. Because I was afraid that you really didn't like me anymore. And I was correct._

_ Actually I still like you a whole lot. I just didn't know what got into me in February. I really didn't mean to blow up and run off just like that. I know it is all my fault, but I hope you can forgive me. Cedric was a fond memory and I wasn't able to take it then. But now I have already moved on and I know he is up there watching me._

_ Hopefully you can give me a chance and start all over again. I mean, if you really hate me now, it's okay, but I really do hope so..._

_Sincerely,_

_ Cho_

He read it again and again fro three times. Then he held it to his heart, closed his eyes. He pulled out his drawers and rummaged for quill and parchment.

There was no more parchment left. Biting his lip, he rushed down to the dark hall where a stack of paper was kept. He reached under the closet and pulled out a thick stack of white paper.

The next morning, Cho awoke. She wasn't crying. In fact, she was smiling. But she did not know why. She just lazed around for awhile.

She poured some juice and toasted bread for breakfast. She hummed. She had not been so happy in months. Ever since she ran away from Harry she had been feeling dejected. There was a slight gleam of sunshine in her life now.

A beautiful snowy owl flew in and perched next to Tweak. Tweak hooted sleepily as Cho approached the pair of owls. She found that the owl was quite familiar but she couldn't recall for once. 

She untied the note gently and carefully. She fed the owl some food and sent it off. Sitting back, she read the letter.

_Dearest Cho,_

_ I am sorry for what I said yesterday. I really didn't mean it. I thought that you hated me for being so tactless and all that...but actually I hold you in my heart and hope that you can really stay by my side..._

_ I was lying yesterday. I thought you had no more feelings for me. I almost asked another girl out, you know. Then I found out that you were the one I wanted to be with._

_Love, _

_ Harry P._

_P.S. I would love to start all over again._

_P.P.S. Did your tears smudge the parchment?_

Cho smiled brightly and laughed at the last comment. Still smiling, she danced over to the windows and pulled the curtains apart. Sunshine spilled in beautifully as the curtains parted.

"Harry...I love you." Cho whispered to the breeze.

Miles away, Harry was waking up and opening the windows too. The wind flowed in and tickled his ears. He knew it was Cho.

"I love you too." Harry smiled as he clattered down the stairs.


	6. more rain

_Dear Harry,_

_ Yes, I'd love to start all over again. By the way, who was the girl you wanted to ask out?_

_From, Cho._

_Dear Cho,_

_ Good to hear that =) I really missed you. I really didn't mean to say those stuff. Forgive me. _

_ Besides, didn't you ask Michael C. out?_

_Love, Harry._

_Dear Harry,_

_ You still haven't told me who that girl is. Anyway, I don't care now. As long as we forgive each other, I'm sure that everything will turn out fine. Actually you should forgive me because, you know, it was my fault. _

_ Anyway, I did ask Michael out. But we weren't really boyfriend/ girlfriend you know._

_Love, Cho._

_Dear Cho,_

_ That girl was a fellow Gryffindor, she's in your year. But I found out that she already has a boyfriend. _

_Love, Harry._

_P.S. Michael Corner kissed you...right?_

_Dearest Harry,_

_ You mean you did not ask her out just because she had a boyfriend?! Not really because you liked me?_

_Cho._

_P.S. He did kiss me._

_Dearest Cho,_

_ No! I mean, that I actually wanted to ask you out but I did not dare to because I thought you hated me, not because she already has a boyfriend. Really!_

_ Anyway, you two really kissed? Then maybe you like him too. I really have no words to say._

_Harry._

_Dear Harry,_

_ Well, I dunno if we really should get back together if you like that girl too. I do not like Michael Corner. He kissed me but I did _NOT _kiss him. You should know that I don't really like him._

_From, Cho._

_Dearest Cho,_

_ I admit that I had a little crush on that girl, but I really do treasure you more. I really want to get back together, but if you don't, I can't force you._

_Sincerely, Harry._

Cho did not know if they should get back together. She did not know if she should write back. She wondered if Harry still liked the girl. 

As always, she pushed all the words from the letter to the back of her mind.

But she never forgot Harry as the days slipped by.

*Harry*

Harry was getting anxious. Cho hadn't replied his letters. His days passed with worry and longing. But Cho never sent her owl. He sometimes peeped out of the window, but he never saw any trace of owl. 

He felt really heartbroken. He couldn't forget her. Every time, Cho's mesmerizing, carefree smile flashed across his mind. 

But if that was really what Cho wanted, then he couldn't force her. A tear drop slipped from his eye and he quickly brushed it away. He just stared at the open book on the table.

A purple kite flew past the window. He looked out and saw a small Chinese girl flying it. Cho! She looked like Cho. He could only watch from above and think about her...


	7. epilogue

Cho felt relieved that the holidays were over. September First came quickly. Her new trunk, sent from China, and Tweak in her new cage, was waiting at the door.

She closed the windows and looked around the house, sighing. How fast time flew. Then her gaze fell upon the pile of letters under the table.

She picked up one of them and read them, very, very carefully.

_Dearest Cho,_

_I am sorry for what I said yesterday. I really didn't mean it. I thought that you hated me for being so tactless and all that...but actually I hold you in my heart and hope that you can really stay by my side..._

_I was lying yesterday. I thought you had no more feelings for me. I almost asked another girl out, you know. Then I found out that you were the one I wanted to be with._

_Love, _

_Harry P._

_P.S. I would love to start all over again._

_P.P.S. Did your tears smudge the parchment?_

She would not cry. She would go back to Hogwarts and wait. To see if Harry really loved her.

Time really flew, it was already her seventh year.

She won't see Harry next year.

_Who cares_, she thought. But she really cared. She picked up the luggage and went out. She locked the door, and sighed again. The summer weather was back again. After the slight rain in the morning, the air was clear and fresh. Diagon Alley seemed to be made new again. The whole street was gleaming brightly, to her. 

Soon, she arrived at King's Cross, half an hour early.

"Hey, Cho!"

Cho turned around. It was Mel.

"How are things?" she whispered.

"Not so good."

Melody tilted her head. "Well, I know that things will turn out fine. I promise you."

"How do you know?" Cho stared at the pretty Japanese girl.

Melody just smiled. "There's a rainbow, and it's a full circle, though you can't see much more than a semi here."

Cho just stared.

"Rainbows are good omens." Rainbow nodded brightly. She bent down to pick up her luggage, then turned to leave.

"How do you know?" Cho called one last time.

Melody didn't look back. "Parents are Seers."

Cho was awed. The rainbow was really beautiful and shimmered brightly above her head. The colours glowed brightly and brilliantly.

A pair of pink butterflies danced in the air and circled around Cho. She smiled brightly, and turned to leave.

That was when she saw Harry.

Harry was standing there, three feet from her. He was smiling slightly, a little unsure. His eyes glimmered at her.

She smiled at him. Harry smiled wider.

They approached each other like under the mistletoe. Only now that it was under the rainbow.

He held her in his arms and then Cho felt her feelings and emotions flow into Harry. He gave her a warm, tingly feel.

She threw her arms around his neck. The time seemed to stop. She didn't care who was around them. She wanted this to last forever and ever.

He kissed her lightly on her lips. Cho was brimming with excitement and blissfulness. Then she kissed him back and they remained like that for a few minutes.

"You're as beautiful as the rainbow, Cho." Harry said quietly, brushing her hair back.

"And your eyes are as brilliant as the colours." Cho told him, holding his hand. Harry smiled playfully.

"Let's go. I think the train will be leaving soon." Harry said. Still holding hands, they crossed the barrier and stepped onto Platform Nine and Three Quarters.

Cho saw Melody smiling at them. Then Cho recalled. Melody was Year Seven too. And she was from Gryffindor. Harry could have dated her too.

She felt so lucky.

Spanned across the cornflower blue sky, the rainbow was still visible. The colours were fading, but Cho knew that she and Harry would be together.

_ Rainbows are good omens._

Cho smiled once more.


End file.
